American is increasingly connected to the rest of theworld as a global economy becomes more important. We participate in the international marketplace both as providers of goods and as consumers. How we buy and sell affects us both in terms of what goods we can choose from, but also what jobs are available, and what kinds of industries will come to dominate our economy.

One of the most important changes in recent years in our place in the global economy is the dropping of trade barriers with such political moves as the approval of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). This has had an impact on our economy which has filtered down to the everyday lives of our people, both as workers and as consumers. On the one hand, NAFTA has been good in that it has caused the dropping of tariffs by Mexico and Canada, making U. S. goods more affordable in those countries. This has helped to stimulate some areas of the American economy by opening up new markets to sell our products abroad.

In urging the passage of NAFTA, the Clinton Administration publications said that NAFTA would increase high wage job

One effect of the global marketplace is in the political area. As more of the economy becomes internationally integrated, the fears which it causes effects the way people vote and what policies are chosen. Also, there becomes more of a desire for international companies to try to influence American politicians, and this leads to the possibility of Americans losing power with their own government. The recent controversy over the foreign political contributions to the Clinton campaign and buying influence are one example of this (Cohen (1996)). There are also foreign reactions to American influence based on the global marketplace which affects our relations with foreign countries. While this may seem not to have an immediate everyday impact, it does affect policies of our government which filter down in a variety of ways.

One area which is definitely affected by the international marketplace is the type and quality of goods available to consumers, and especially the type of entertainment we pursue. As an example, Japanese electronics have largely taken over the field in both television and music related areas. Now, with new standards just agreed to on digital television for worldwide use, an extreme change is on the horizon. Over the next decade, it is expected that every American home will have to replace their current televisions with wide screen digital models or else buy converter boxes in order to watch TV. These TVS will also be used similarly to desktop personal computers, and will have a major effect on the computer use of the average American also. By 1998, when broadcasters are expected to be sending out the necessary signals, TV and computers are expected to be integrated, which will also affect people who use the internet. This will lead to a major change in both how we communicate and receive information, and how we are entertained (Brinkley (1996)).

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Approximate Word count = 1516
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)